Weegee by Weegee

Renowned photojournalist and freelance photographer Weegee began capturing New York City’s darkest moments in the Thirties and Forties, when the streets were rampant with crime. Self-taught, he stood out from his fellow reporters by being fearless in the face of uncertainty, and honing in on the ugly truth rather than turning his back on it. In 1938, he installed a police radio in his car, which threw his career into overdrive. In his biography, Weegee explained: “My car became my home. I kept everything there: an extra camera, flashlight bulbs, a typewriter, firefighter boots, cigar boxes, salami, infrared film to shoot in the dark, a change of underwear, uniforms, costumes [and more]. [...] Since then I was no longer attached to the Teletype at police headquarters. I had wings. I no longer had to wait for the crime to come to me; I could go after it.” With this approach, he was able to capture shocking images of arrests and crime scenes, turning violence and death into spectacle, and later selling them to leading newspapers. Advertising and editorial assignments for magazines followed, including shoots for Life, and beginning in 1945, Vogue. Throughout his career Weegee divided his time and talent between the media and the fine arts communities, eventually earning respect from both. The exhibition at Foto Colectania presents a carefully chosen selection of his work, with images that range from unflinchingly realistic scenes of urban life to snapshots of domestic social events, such as a masked ball or the assortment of people at Coney Island beaches.